Canadians at the exhibition

The British Council has announced details of “Atlas of the Unbuilt World,” an international exhibition for the London Festival of Architecture 2013 that opened at the Bartlett School of Architecture, Royal Ear Hospital, on 7 June. Designed by Pernilla Ohrstedt Studio, the exhibition showcases architectural models of future projects from around the globe by some of the most by exciting practices and emerging studios working today. As part of the exhibition a 3D printer will live-print submissions for a week at the venue; giving architects, students and designers the chance to submit their work.

“Atlas of the Unbuilt World “provides a snap-shot of the future of architecture hosting over 60 models, from 40 countries. Canadian projects on display include a museum addition in Montreal by atelier TAG + Jodoin Lamarre Pratte Architects in consortium, a water treatment facility in Edmonton by gh3, and a corporate condominium tower in Winnipeg by 5468796 Architecture. The projects have been nominated by international experts including architects, academics and writers and representatives from London’s embassies and cultural institutes.

In addition, architects practicing both in the U.K. and internationally are encouraged to submit their work to an unprecedented live 3D-printing project run by London based agency 3Dpeasy. An open call via twitter #boteAtlas has launched and full instructions can be found on http://backoftheenvelope.britishcouncil.org and the 3Dpeasy website. There is a fee of £150 per project that will go towards the cost of the printing and shipping to the participants and visitors will be able to witness the process live between the 18th and 22nd of June.

Canadian projects Include:

Alberta | Real Time Control Building #3 | gh3

This project is an opportunity to invest in the design of the plant enclosure and site of Real Time Control Building #3, and by doing so celebrate the importance of municipal infrastructure and its role in shaping the built fabric of the city. The engineering of the facility recognizes the dynamic loading of urban storm and wastewater and as such represents state-of-the-art handling and treatment of urban water for the City of Edmonton.

Correspondingly, the architecture makes apparent the engineering occurring below the ground. To this end, the form of the main shaft is notionally extruded to make the circular enclosure for the plant equipment. The secondary shafts and flow tunnels are also telegraphed to the surface, imbuing the site with an interpretive strategy and signaling that RTC#3 is part of a larger and more complex system. The project’s highly visible location on the northern bank of the North Saskatchewan River just east of the downtown core gives it the potential to become a landmark, playing a crucial role in punctuating open public space along the river’s edge.

The New Pavilion of International Art is a resolutely contemporary addition to the Montreal Fine Arts Museum campus. The new building is conceived of as a series of stacked exhibition spaces and terraces that are accessed from the event stair, a carefully choreographed sequence of circulation spaces and viewing platforms. The event stair, located parallel to the stone-veiled main facade, orchestrates and extends the public space of the street into the building, offering new ways for visitors to observe and experience the city. In turn the building’s activities are projected back onto the street through the filter of the facade.

The New Pavilion bridges the small scale of the 19th-century streetscape and the expected civic presence of an international gallery: it is at once reverent to its Victorian neighbours while audaciously engaging the city’s downtown with its elevated terraces and salons.

Manitoba | Bond Tower | 5468796 Architecture

Confined to a 33’ x 108’ footprint, Bond Tower overcomes its narrow lot by stretching skyward, offering ten floors of office condominiums and views of downtown Winnipeg, resting on a commercial base. While the main level sits within the city’s setback regulations, the upper stories cantilever fifteen feet over the sidewalk on each short end, engaging the streetscape below, extending usable floor space and capturing daylight through full-height glazing.

Due to the 33’ lot width, it becomes necessary to build flush with the side yards in order to maximize square footage requirements. As a result, no windows are permitted directly on the east or west façades. The introduction of diagonal ‘courtyards’ cutting through the structure allows the space to be broken up into smaller compartments, increasing access to light and fresh air. Generic plans are made unique by the size, orientation and location of these apertures, which are angled upward to incorporate a long flight of bleacher-style steps. Each aperture offers a unique vantage point on the city, whether tenants are watching Canada Day fireworks at The Forks or waving at passenger trains as they travel the nearby CPR line.

More about the “Atlas of the Unbuilt World” exhibition

A series of events and workshops will accompany the exhibition exploring these and other issues. An exhibition publication, edited by Rob Gregory, Associate Editor of the Architectural Review and Programme Manager at Bristol Architecture Centre, will examine the projects in depth and analyse the function, use and meaning of architectural models.

Vicky Richardson, director Architecture, Design, Fashion, British Council, says: “We wanted to bring a snapshot of the future of architecture from around the world to London for the Architecture Festival showing real and ambitious projects that are almost complete or partially realized. New technology is changing the way architects use model-making in the design process and hopefully by having a 3D printer as part of the exhibition we’ll get a chance to witness this at first hand.”